Boys' Club
by NaomiP
Summary: Luka offers to watch Alex while Sam is out of town. Will he have second thoughts about this whole surrogate parent thing? In ch. 5, Luka and Alex go into the livestock business. This fic is on hold, but will be finished ... real soon now! Maybe ...
1. Chapter 1

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't like Alex. I really don't like Alex. I could never understand why Luka likes Alex so much. Which is the inspiration for this fic, in which we all get to find out if Naomi can write humor as well as she writes angst and misery. I was going to wait a few days to post this ... seeing as I just finished my last one, but ... what the hell.]  
  
[Disclaimer stuff: I don't own ER or any of the characters featured here. I do own this story, so please do not do anything but read it or print it out for your own enjoyment without getting permission from me first.]  
  
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"Come on, Alex, decide already!" grumbled Sam.  
  
"I can't make up my mind between "_Halloween 17 -- The Shriek of Shrek_ and _Nightmare on Mulberry Street -- What They Saw._ They both look so good."  
  
"Well, just pick one. Whichever one we don't watch tonight, you can rent another day."  
  
Sam had already made her selection, and Luka was still browsing around somewhere in the back of the store.  
  
"Which would you rather see?" asked Alex.  
  
Sam just shrugged. "I'm indifferent. Blood is blood as far as I'm concerned."  
  
"Ok. _Halloween 17_, I guess. What do you have, Mom?"  
  
Sam showed him the box, and Alex made a face. "_Impractical Magic_? Isn't that, like ... a chick flick?"  
  
"So? I'm a chick, aren't I?" Sam scanned the store. "Luka! We're ready."  
  
Luka's long legs carried him to the check-out area in a moment. Sam couldn't help noticing that he was holding _his_ choice close to his leg. He took the other two boxes from Sam and said, "Alex, you go get us some popcorn while I pay for these."   
  
After Alex had scurried off to the popcorn machine at the front of the store Sam said, "So, what did you get?" Luka put the DVD box on the counter, and Sam felt herself turn bright red. "_Nurse Nancy and Latex Larry in 'A Spanking Good Time?'"_ she whispered, her voice a horrified squeak. "I don't think that's exactly appropriate for Alex, do you?"  
  
Luka shrugged. "It isn't for Alex, it's for us. He'll be going to bed eventually, right? And so will we. Eventually." He handed the clerk his rental card and payment, and went on, "I was going to get _Velma and Daphne Go to the Dogs_, but this one looked a little more educational. And you know, there's a whole series of these Nurse Nancy stories. If we like this one..."  
  
"Enough!" whispered Sam. "Alex is coming back."  
  
The clerk put the DVDs into a bag, and Luka quickly stuck it into his pocket. "Ok," he said brightly to Alex. "We're all set."  
  
"Which one did you get this time?" Alex asked, his mouth full of popcorn.  
  
"You won't like it," Luka said. "It's one of those boring chick flicks that you always complain about."  
  
_"Two_ chick flicks? I'll bet this one has lots of kissing and stuff in it too." Alex grumbled.

"And stuff," Luka agreed good-naturedly. His eyes sparkled at Sam over the top of Alex's head, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing.  
  
"By the time _Halloween_ is over, it will be your bedtime anyway," she reminded Alex. "Let's go, Luka. I'm starving."  
  
Twenty minutes later, after a quick visit to a drive through, the three of them were settled in Sam's living room, watching _Halloween 17. _ Alex was sprawled across the floor with his burger and fries, while Sam and Luka snuggled together on the sofa. The company was nice, but Sam just picked at her dinner. Funny how she could deal with blood and gore all day in the ER, and eat a hearty lunch in the process -- but all the fake blood on the tv screen just turned her stomach.   
  
"This is so cool!" cried Alex. "Did you see that, Luka!"  
  
"It's so unrealistic," complained Luka. "They need to hire technical advisors to help them with the medical stuff in these movies."  
  
"Like Nurse Nancy, maybe?" Sam whispered in his ear.  
  
"Really, Sam. Is this realistic? At all? When people are cut in half, the blood doesn't ...." He was interrupted by the telephone ringing.  
  
Sam sighed and reached over to pick it up. "Hello? Hi, Mom. Yeah, I'm fine. Alex is fine too. And Luka's fine .... oh, I'm sorry, Mom. When? ... I can't, Mom. Alex has school ... I'll see what I can do, Mom ... I said I'll try, ok?" Sam hung up the phone and shook her head.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Luka.  
  
"My Great-aunt Maude died this morning."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
Sam took a french fry. "Don't be. I haven't seen her since I was about 5. She was 97, had Alzheimer's and cancer and heart disease. Should've died years ago, but seemed determined to prove to everyone what a stubborn cuss she was. But ... Mom is insisting that I go to the funeral. She apparently told everyone that I'd be there. Maude adored me, I guess. All these years when she didn't know who anyone was, she still had very vivid memories of _me_. She used to baby-sit me while Mom worked. To the day she died she thought I was still two years old and potty training."  
  
"So you should go. It will make everyone happy."  
  
"I can't, Luka. The funeral is the day after tomorrow. Alex can't miss that much school. And he's never met her, so it would be ridiculous..."  
  
"Where is it?"  
  
"St. Petersburg, Florida. It will take me all day tomorrow to get there, and another whole day to drive home again. It's like a 22 hour drive or something."  
  
"Can't you fly?"  
  
"I don't fly. I've always been terrified of flying. I could drive it ... but Alex ..."  
  
"So, go by yourself."  
  
"What will I do about Alex?" Sam repeated.  
  
"I can take care of Alex for a few days. I'm off tomorrow, and on days for the rest of the week."  
  
"I can't ask you to do that," Sam said dubiously.  
  
"You didn't ask me. I offered."  
  
"I'd have to leave ... like ... now .. if I'm going to get there at a reasonable hour tomorrow."

"So do it. You pack what you need for the trip. I'll run home and get some stuff for myself. It won't take me more than an hour or so. By the time I get back, you should be ready. I'll stay with Alex until you get back." He grinned at Alex. "We'll have fun, right?"  
  
"And I'll just be having a blast ..." Sam said with a sigh. "But if you're sure it's ok ..."


	2. Chapter 2

Luka held Sam tightly. "Drive carefully," he told her. "If you get too tired, find a motel and stop for a while and get some sleep. And call me when you get there."  
  
"I will, I will and I will," Sam promised.  
  
"It's a shame about Nancy and Larry, though," Luka whispered. "I was looking forward to that."  
  
Sam just smiled at him, and then turned to Alex, who was finishing off the last of the popcorn. He had grudgingly permitted his mother to give him a good-bye hug and kiss, before escaping to the sofa to allow her and Luka _their_ good-byes. "Now Alex, you listen to Luka. You do what he tells you. If I hear that you've given him trouble, there will be hell to pay. Understand?"   
  
"I'll be good, Mom," Alex said with a deep sigh.  
  
"Bedtime is 9:30 every night. Homework gets done the minute you get home from school. Check your blood sugar four times a day..."  
  
"Go, already, Sam!" Luka interrupted firmly. "You have a long drive ahead of you, and we'll be fine." He opened the door and, after giving her one last kiss, pushed Sam through it.  
  
The minute the door closed, Alex jumped up from the couch. "This is going to be _so_ cool, Luka. Just the two of us!" And there was a knock on the door. Luka opened it to see Sam standing there.  
  
"Back so soon?"  
  
"Forgot my bag," Sam said. She grabbed the bag, gave Luka another peck on the cheek, and was gone again.  
  
"We are going to have _sooo_ much fun!" Alex crowed."  
  
"Yes, we will," Luka agreed good-naturedly. "So, how did the movie end?"  
  
Alex shrugged. "You know ... another 20 or 30 got killed and Michael escaped again."  
  
"So, does this mean there's a _Halloween 18_?"  
  
"Yeah, and 19 and 20 too. Maybe we can rent them tomorrow? A triple feature?"  
  
"Maybe. But, right now it's bedtime."  
  
"It's still so early, Luka."  
  
"It's almost 9:30. Your mother said ..."  
  
"She didn't mean tonight!" Alex interrupted. "Tomorrow is Sunday, I don't have school. I always stay up until midnight on Saturday."  
  
"She said every night, Alex. Besides, if we're going to have a long, exciting day tomorrow, you need to go to sleep so we can get up early."  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll have to look at the paper and see what's going on. Maybe we could go a ball game, or the zoo, or the Museum of Science and Industry..."  
  
"Or the morgue? Or maybe we could observe some surgeries? I kinda wish Mom _had_ taken me to Florida with her. Not that I don't want to spend lots of time with you ... but I've never been to a funeral before. I've never seen a real live dead person."  
  
"No dead people, Alex," Luka said firmly. "We'll both think about it and decide in the morning. Now go get your jammies on and brush your teeth. I'll be in to tuck you in soon, and maybe read you a story?"  
  
Alex rolled his eyes. "Jammies? Read me a _story_? I know how to read, Luka. Probably better than you ... in English ..."  
  
"Enough with the smart mouth. Off to bed." Luka had to laugh a little even as he tried to be firm with Alex. This was going to take getting used to. Parenting a preadolescent was a very different game from parenting a couple of toddlers.  
  
Alex ran off to his room, still grumbling, and Luka took his own overnight bag into Sam's room. This _was_ going to be fun. And the bonding time would do them both good. Alex was a good kid. A little rambunctious; a little too big for his britches, but really a good kid. Luka was sure he could handle him -- and if not ... well ... he could always hog-tie him and hang him from the coat rack until Sam got back.   
  
After a few minutes, Luka knocked on Alex's bedroom door. "All ready for bed?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah." Luka opened the door and went in. Alex was in bed ... dressed in ...  
  
"Scooby Doo pajamas?" Luka asked, laughing again. "I never pictured you as that type, Alex."  
  
"I'm not. Mom is. She got on the big Scooby Doo kick a few years ago, maybe she thought that it was what _normal_ kids were supposed to be interested in. She told me once that she thought she was Velma in a former life. I almost never wear these, but I don't have any other clean ones. Mom usually does laundry on Sunday."  
  
"So maybe we'll spend an exciting day tomorrow at the laundromat?"  
  
"Or at the store? You can buy me some new pajamas."  
  
"We'll see. Are you sure you don't want a story?"  
  
"You could _tell_ me a story," Alex suggested.  
  
"Make one up, you mean?"  
  
"No. Tell me some of the cool things that happened at work today."  
  
"What kind of cool things?"  
  
"I dunno. Any really gory traumas? Did you reattach any body parts?"  
  
"Not today. And besides, the surgeons do the reattaching."  
  
"What's the weirdest body part you ever had to reattach? Somebody's tongue?"  
  
"No, Alex."  
  
"Somebody's penis?"  
  
_"No,_ Alex. That's enough chattering for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you some gory ER stories. Now it's late, and you need to go to sleep."  
  
Luka tucked Alex in snugly, and said goodnight. He'd give him a few minutes to fall asleep, then settle down with Nurse Nancy. Watching it alone wouldn't be quite so entertaining as watching it with Sam ... but it would still be educational. Then he'd return it and rent _ Velma and Daphne_ as a welcome home treat. For both of them. 


	3. Chapter 3

[Authors Note: Much of this chapter (and the next) are set in the Museum of Science and Industry. I've never been there. So the content is based on a combination of info from their website, my own overactive imagination, and a healthy dose of dramatic (or comedic?) license.]

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"What time did _you_ go to bed last night?"   
  
A cheerful voice; a thud and a jar as Alex threw himself onto Luka's bed -- or rather, Sam's bed. Luka opened to his eyes to see Alex's equally cheerful face.  
  
"At my own bed time," he said.  
  
"Well, you need to get up if we're going to do all that cool stuff you promised."  
  
Luka looked at the clock. 9:30. He had fallen asleep on the couch while watching his movie -- which hadn't been nearly as exciting as he'd hoped. After waking up again at around 2, he'd gone to bed, and had some rather more interesting dreams involving Sam in a red latex catsuit....  
  
He sat up and cleared his throat. "Ok. Let me get a shower and dress, then we'll have breakfast and make our plans." He couldn't help noticing that Alex was already dressed, and bouncing not only on the bed, but off the walls. It couldn't be that he was excited about the prospect of spending time with him? No ... Alex bounced off walls as a matter of course.  
  
--------  
  
As Luka stepped out of the bathroom, he heard Alex say, "Hey, I thought you said this was a chick flick -- a romance. It looks more like a medical drama. Does it have some cool, gory ..." And Alex hit the play button on the remote.  
  
"Ah ... no ..." Luka crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed the DVD box and remote out of Alex's hand, and hit the off button before the screen had a chance to change from blue to -- blue.  
  
"Can't I just watch until breakfast is ready?"  
  
"You _won't_ like it," Luka said firmly.  
  
"Aren't there any cool hospital scenes? I _am_ going to be a doctor when I grow up, you know."  
  
"None whatsoever." Luka slipped the DVD into the case and put it on top of the book case, well out of reach, and kicked himself for having forgotten to do it last night. He hadn't realized that he had to 'childproof' for a ten year old. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"  
  
"Just cereal, I guess."  
  
Luka rummaged in the cabinet, searching for corn flakes or something similar. "All I can find is this sweet stuff," he said.  
  
"I have that for breakfast all the time."  
  
Five minutes later, Luka was doing his best to manfully choke down his own bowl of Honey Frosted Sugar Wheaties. No wonder the kid was in DKA on a regular basis, Luka thought, if Sam let him eat this crap for breakfast.  
  
"So ... how about we go to the zoo today? It's supposed to be nice out."  
  
"The zoo? Boring!"  
  
"They have wolves. And a new baby polar bear."  
  
"_Sooo_ boring," Alex said again. "I haven't been to a zoo since I was five. I hated it then. I'll hate it twice as much now."  
  
"Ok. How about the museum? There's lots to see and do there. Even some medical exhibits."  
  
Alex gave an exaggerated sigh. "I guess ..."  
  
"What did _you_ have in mind?" Luka asked. "Besides the morgue, which is definitely out."  
  
"I dunno. Canoe across Lake Michigan? Go to Six Flags? Or Disney World?"  
  
"In your dreams. It's either the museum or the laundromat."  
  
"Ok. The museum, I guess."  
  
"You'll enjoy it, Alex."  
  
"How do you know? Have you ever been?"  
  
"Nope. Never had anyone to take. Have you ever been there?"  
  
"No. My class went last fall, but I arranged to be sick that day."  
  
"Well, I'm sure it will be wonderful. Now finish eating so we can get moving. There's a lot to see there."  
  
--------  
  
The main lobby was packed. Sundays usually were, Luka guessed. He kept a death grip on Alex's shirt collar while buying the tickets and picking up the maps. He then steered Alex to a slightly less crowded patch of floor so they could consult their maps.   
  
"Where to first?"   
  
"The gift shop? You'll buy me stuff, won't you?"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"You're a doctor. You're rich. You can afford it."  
  
"I said we'll see. _After_ we've seen the museum."  
  
Alex looked at the map thoughtfully. "Lets see the human body stuff first. This 'human body slices' stuff looks pretty cool. Did they _really_ slice up a real person?"

---------  
  
Luka was delighted to discover that, despite Alex's initial misgivings (and his own), Alex seemed to quickly come to enjoy the museum. More than once Luka moved on from one exhibit, thinking that Alex was following him, only to find himself alone at the next one; and Alex still staring engrossed at the previous display. Luka found himself enjoying himself as well; expanding on -- and expounding on the exhibits, supplementing the information provided with his own selection of gory ER stories for the entertainment of Alex, and a growing audience of other parents' children.   
  
Luka was especially surprised to see how much Alex seemed to enjoy the baby chick exhibit. He would never have guessed that a child who proclaimed zoos to be 'boring' and had never shown the slightest interest in puppies or kittens, would stand for 20 minutes watching a chick peck its way out of its shell -- and still be standing there when Luka had moved on to the next exhibit.   
  
Realizing that he was once again alone, this time with the spaceships, Luka retraced his steps to the chicks. "Alex!" Damn ... Sam would kill him if he lost Alex in the museum. "Alex!!" No sign of him. Just then, Alex appeared through a door at the back of the exhibit.  
  
"What were you doing back there?" Luka scolded. "The sign says 'authorized personnel only.'"  
  
Alex shrugged. "I don't read so well. I'm only 10, you know. We haven't learned what 'authorized' means yet." Then a smile. "I just wanted to get a closer look. That was really cool."  
  
"Well, we need to stay together. This place is too big and too crowded for you to keep wandering off like that."  
  
"Sorry. I won't do it again."  
  
"Come on, lets go check out the flight simulators."  
  
"How about lunch first. I'm starved."  
  
"Flight simulator first. Then lunch."


	4. Chapter 4

"So," Alex said when they were settled with their lunches, (not that Luka was especially hungry after the flight simulator and with a bowl of Honey Frosted Sugar Wheaties still sitting like lead in his stomach), "When are you and Mom going to get married?"  
  
"What makes you think we are?" Luka was intrigued. Alex had never had much to say about his relationship with Sam before. Maybe he would find out where the kid's head was at.  
  
Alex shrugged. "I think you should."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Why not? You like each other. You like me." A disarming smile. "And you could have a lot more sex if you were married."  
  
"Alex!" Luka lowered his voice, hoping that it would convince Alex to do the same. People at nearby tables were looking at them.  
  
"Well, it's true, isn't it? You won't have to keep shipping me off to Austin's for sleepovers, or trying to work night shifts so you can snog while I'm at school during the day."  
  
It _was_ true, Luka realized. Sam was still a little uncomfortable with them having sex with Alex just a bedroom wall away. Not that he couldn't usually convince her when he put his mind -- and other body parts to it. But he said, still softly, "What makes you so sure that's what's going on?"  
  
"You're a man. She's a woman. Or at least I assume she is. You'd know that better than me. And there are all those condom wrappers in the trash after you leave."  
  
The people at the other tables were starting to snicker, except for the mother who looked horrified and quickly gathering up her kindergarten-aged twins, hustled them off to another table.  
  
"I think we can talk about this another time, Alex. Like ... in private."  
  
"Are you ashamed of seeing my Mom?"  
  
"No. This just isn't something we should be talking about here." Luka put the remains of his sandwich (it really wasn't very good) on the tray. "Finish up. We've got a lot more to see."  
  
"Can we check out the train next?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
As they headed for the train exhibit, Alex said, "I've never been on a train before."  
  
"You ride the el, don't you?"  
  
"That's not a train. That's just the el! Have you ever been on a train?"  
  
"Yeah. In Europe people travel by train a lot. And my dad was a train conductor. When I was a kid sometimes he'd let me and my brother skip school and ride the train with him, back and forth to Zagreb."  
  
"That must've been cool."  
  
"It was fun," Luka admitted. "Especially since Tata knew the engineers, so we sometimes got to ride up front and pretend to help drive the train."  
  
"Is he still a train conductor?"  
  
"Yeah, but he lives in Zagreb now, and he's a lot older, so he just works on shorter trips. Mostly to Ljubljana and back."  
  
"Maybe you can take me to Croatia some time? And we can ride your dad's train?"  
  
"There are trains right here in America you can ride, Alex."  
  
"Yeah, but I don't know the conductors on those trains, so I couldn't ride up front. Besides, when you and Mom get married we'll go to Croatia anyway, won't we? To meet your family?"  
  
"Maybe," Luka agreed. Why was Alex harping on about marriage? He liked Sam well enough, and Alex well enough, but it was way too soon to be thinking about marriage!  
  
They had reached the train. Three sleek and shiny silver coaches. "A lot prettier than the el trains," Alex commented, and ran inside.   
  
They slowly walked the length of the train, and Alex frowned. "I thought this would be more exciting."  
  
Luka shrugged "It's a train. It takes you places. Or it would if it actually worked. What did you expect it to be like?"   
  
"I dunno."  
  
Luka sat down in one of the seats in the first class coach. "It's comfortable," he said. "Beats Croatian Airlines any day." He shut his eyes for a moment and relaxed back into the seat. And when he opened them, he was alone in the coach. "Alex!" A leash. He needed to put the kid on a leash! "Alex!" he called again. He looked out the window, hoping that Alex had slipped out the door. No sign of him outside. "Alex! Get your ass over here right now!" How could he have vanished that quickly?  
  
Just then a door at the far end of the coach opened, and Alex popped out.   
  
"What were you doing?" Luka asked.   
  
"Just checking out the bathroom. They don't work."   
  
Luka looked at the sign on the door. "The woman's bathroom?" he asked.  
  
"They don't work, Luka. It isn't like I was going to walk in on some lady peeing. How often do I get the chance to see the inside of a girl's bathroom?"  
  
Luka sighed. "I think it's time we were going home. You just can't keep disappearing like that. I don't care _where_ you were wanting to go!"  
  
"That's ok. My feet hurt anyway. Can we hit the gift shop first?"   
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"You promised!"  
  
"I did not promise anything."  
  
"Maybe they'll have pajamas."  
  
Another sigh. "Ok. We'll look at the gift shop. But nothing too expensive."  
  
---------  
  
No pajamas. Luka once again kept a firm grip on Alex's collar as they made their way through the crowded aisles of the gift shop. Alex was uninterested in the books and the tee shirts and the model kits, and made a disgusted noise when Luka suggested a stuffed animal.   
  
Then ... "Oh _cool_! Can I get one of these?"  
  
"An ant farm?"  
  
"Sure. I love bugs."  
  
'You would,' thought Luka. But he said, "I don't think your building allows pets, Alex."  
  
"Ants aren't pets. They're ... bugs ..."  
  
"Which I think your landlord would like even less."  
  
"They stay inside the plastic, Luka. They won't get out. Please? It's not very expensive. And I won't ask for a single other thing the whole time you're here."   
  
"Ok," Luka agreed wearily. He was too tired to argue with Alex any more. Amazing that he could work a 12 hour shift and feel fresh and alert when it was over, but a few hours with Alex left him bone tired.  
  
After paying for the purchase, Luka shepherded Alex out to the car. When they were headed home, he said, "So, did you have a good time?"  
  
"It was ok. I still would have rather gone to Six Flags. Tomorrow can I come to work with you?"   
  
"Tomorrow you have to go to school." Luka was about to say something more, when he suddenly heard a strange noise. A sort of squeak. Or a chirp. Damn, the car was practically new. It shouldn't be making odd noises already. He turned down the radio and listened more closely. The sound came again. It seemed to be coming from the back seat.  
  
Luka looked in the rear view mirror. "Is that you, Alex?" he asked.  
  
"Nope." Alex was squirming a little in his seat, and he had a hand in his jacket pocket.  
  
"It's coming from back there."  
  
"Maybe you have mice," Alex said.  
  
"I don't think so. What's in your pocket?"  
  
"Nothing. Just my hand." Alex took his hand out of his pocket. "I'm cold. The a/c is turned up too high."  
  
Luka shook his head and concentrated on his driving. He knew Alex stole sometimes, but he'd had him in sight every minute they were in the gift shop. _What_ could he have stolen? 


	5. Chapter 5

Once inside, Alex said, "Can you help me set up the ant farm?" He took it out of the bag and set it on the table.  
  
"What's in your pocket, Alex?" The strange noise had followed them inside. It was, if anything, louder. It clearly _wasn't_ the car.   
  
Looking embarrassed, Alex reached into his pocket and took out -- two rather bedraggled looking speckled chicks.  
  
"You stole chicks?" Luka asked in disbelief.  
  
"Not the chicks, the eggs. I didn't think they'd hatch this soon. I guess my pocket must be really warm or something. I felt them starting to peck their way out when we were at the train. That's why I wanted to leave."  
  
Luka barely heard the explanation. "And _why_ did you steal eggs?"  
  
"I dunno. I guess I thought it would be cool to raise chickens. Mom never lets me have pets."  
  
"You're going to raise chickens in a Chicago apartment?"  
  
"They're small. They don't eat much." Alex frowned. "You're not going to make me take them back, are you?"  
  
"No." Luka knew that going back with two newly hatched chicks in hand would be at least as embarrassing for him as for Alex. He'd still have to think of something to tell Sam, but he had a few days to work that one out. "Do you know anything about raising chicks?" he finally asked.  
  
"No, but you do, don't you? You grew up on a farm, didn't you?"  
  
"I know nothing about chickens, except how to cook them. And these ones are still a little young yet to make a decent meal." He didn't really. It had been decades since he'd even thought about the subject. "Well, let's find a box to put them in. We can't have them wandering around the apartment. We'll figure out something ... at least until your Mom gets home and kills us both."  
  
Alex found a shoe-box, and they put a towel in the bottom, and set the chicks inside. And Luka tried to think. What did any baby animal need? Food, water, and warmth. Water was easy. Alex got a bowl of water, and they set that into the box. Warmth? The apartment was a bit chilly.   
  
"Do you have a desk lamp or something like that?" he asked Alex.   
  
"Yeah, there's one in my room. Want me to get it?"   
  
"Yeah, it will help keep the chicks warm."   
  
And food. Luka knew that chicks ate special chick feed -- that much he remembered. Not the sort of thing he was likely to find at the corner convenience store.  
  
Bringing the lamp, Alex seemed to read his mind. "What are we going to feed them?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe we can go to the library tomorrow and look up information on raising chicks. My grandfather used special chick food, I remember that."  
  
Alex frowned thoughtfully. "How about eggs? The display at the museum said that they get nutrients from the egg yolk before they hatch. Maybe they can still eat eggs now?"   
  
"It's worth a try," Luka agreed. He put an egg to boil on the stove.  
  
"Now, can we set up my ant farm?" Alex asked again.  
  
Luka shook his head. "Ants and chicks? I don't think your mother expected that, when she left town for three days that she'd come home to find us raising livestock!"   
  
Three days. Luka almost sighed. Could he stand two more days of this? Well, tomorrow he'd be at work and Alex at school most of the day.  
  
The rest of the afternoon was devoted to setting up the ant farm and feeding the chicks, who seemed, so far, happy enough in their makeshift home.   
  
-----  
  
Luka was making supper (having resisted Alex's pleas to go out for burgers -- he'd had enough fast food for one weekend), when the phone rang.  
  
Alex snatched it up. "Hello. Taggert residence. Hi Mom!"  
  
Luka had to smile as he listened to Alex chatting eagerly and happily with his mother, telling her about their day -- if rather selectively. Then he heard him say something about "Scrambled eggs and bacon ... yeah, Luka's a real good cook ...." Then, after another minute, "Mom wants to talk to you, Luka."  
  
Luka took the phone, and Alex ran off to his room. "Hi, Sam. Are you in Florida?"  
  
"Yeah, it was a long drive and I'm exhausted, but I wanted to check in with you guys before I went to bed. How's Alex been?"  
  
"Oh ... fine ... we're having a good time."  
  
"He's not giving you any trouble?" Sam sounded surprised.  
  
"Not much. What was he saying to you about eggs?"  
  
"Just that you had bacon and eggs for breakfast. We usually have that on Sundays if I'm not working, so it's ok."  
  
"No, we had cereal."   
  
"Cereal? Do I _have_ cereal?"  
  
"Sure. There was a box of that sugary stuff. Tasted a little stale to me, but ..."  
  
Sam's voice went up an octave. "You let him have that crap for breakfast!? He's diabetic, Luka, or had you forgotten?"  
  
"He said he has it a lot ..."  
  
"He gets that as a treat. A quarter cup or so, as a special treat after dinner, once in a blue moon. I figure with the vitamin fortification, it's a little healthier than candy. But never for breakfast!"  
  
"Sorry, Sam. He told me ...."  
  
"Don't you know better by now than to believe _anything_ that Alex tells you?"  
  
"We won't do it again. His blood sugar's been ok today."  
  
"Just be a little more sensible, Luka, ok? This is Alex we're dealing with here, _not_ a sweet little toddler."  
  
"I'm sorry," Luka said again. "Now go get some sleep. I'll see you in a few days. I miss you."  
  
"Miss you too."  
  
Luka hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and headed for Alex's room. The kid definitely had some explaining to do. 


End file.
